It’s your senior year. Your palms are sweaty. Your heart is beating fast. You’re running around like a chicken without its head, trying to figure out what to do next with your life. A countless number of people have been asking you, “Are you going to college after you graduate?”, “What are you going to major in?”, “Where are you going to go?”,  and then that person asks that one question that you have been trying to avoid for the past four years of high school. “How are you going to pay for college?”

Heart beats quicker. Palms damp with sweat. Dear, God. How are you going to pay for college?

Then it hits you quickly and realization settles deep within your chest. You live in Hammond or Robertsdale. You are eligible for one of the best scholarships in Indiana: College Bound. It’ll help pay for your undergraduate education at any Indiana state college or university, but only if you’ve been living in Hammond or the Robertsdale neighborhood since at least the sixth grade. Now you can wipe that sweat off your forehead and breath out a sigh of relief.

College Bound is a scholarship granted to students who live in Hammond or Robertsdale. The College Bound has three goals: increase home ownership, make education a priority, and improve the quality of life within the city Some qualifications for college bound is; . The money that students receive from College Bound if they are eligible, is from the Horseshoe Casino in Hammond, Indiana.

“The scholarship is probably one of the largest resident-based scholarship programs available,” said Ms. Jessica Ramos, guidance counselor.

As of now, out of the 89 seniors that live in Hammond or Robertsdale, only 23% are taking advantage of College Bound. They meet the requirements for College Bound, which are a good GPA and awesome test scores. The GPA that students must keep while they are in college is at least cumulative grade point average (GPA)  of 2.0. However, when students graduate they are to graduate with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher from a public or private accredited high school, graduate with a cumulative g.p.a. of 2.5 or higher with a score of at least 1,000 (math & verbal) on the Scholastic Achievement Test (SAT). (The ACT equivalent to the SAT is a composite score of 21), graduate with a 2.5 g.p.a. or higher with a total score of 1400 on the SAT. (The ACT equivalent to the SAT is a composite score of 21). The amount awarded is based on how long the student’s parents have owned their home in Hammond. Students who have resided in the city since the 6th grade -12th grade are eligible for 100% of the award. As the less years you have lived in Hammond, the percentage of what you can earn from the scholarship drops 10%.

It is true that this scholarship is a blessing, but some are not seeing it that way. May it be reminded that only 23% of students are actually using College Bound, while the other 77% are not taking advantage of this scholarship. These people are missing the real benefits that the program offers.

Senior Alyssa Anglin, who is the 2015 valedictorian, is one of the 23% who sees the light at the end of the dark tunnel.

“I’m applying for college bound because it is an automatic scholarship, basically, for Hammond residents, and it follows the tuition rate of IU Bloomington, the school I plan to attend, so it works well for me,” she said.

It is unfortunate that students are not realizing the real potential that College Bound really has. Yes, the applying part may be tedious, but in the past, there are some students who have received up to $10,500 a year for their schooling through College Bound. And it is not the 40 hours of community service that is the problem with students not wanting to apply.

“The community service does not compare at all to the money College Bound is going to give you. The service is the easiest part,” said senior Christian Campos.

Anglin says she “would be willing to slog out sewers for forty hours every year if it meant [she] could have all of [her] undergraduate college tuition paid.”

So, what’s the problem? If there is the possibility of having tuition paid for, why are the 77% of students out there not wanting to apply for this scholarship?

The problem may be that students are not realizing what the scholarship truly is. It is extremely significant for those who live in Robertsdale and Hammond to search for these scholarships and use them.

“I would definitely suggest applying for College Bound because it helps students to pay for college and allows them to not have to worry about so much debt,” said senior Brianna Quintero.

It is possible that some students are not using College Bound because College Bound only helps pay the tuition for Indiana state colleges. This puts a damper on one of those who desperately wants to own that theater major and had their hearts set on American Musical and Dramatic Academy (AMDA) in New York. Or possibly, it distinguishes the candle of hope for that one student whose whole dream was to attend Harvard, but cannot attend because of the great expenses. This is the only disadvantage that College Bound has, and possibly one that is affecting many students’ decision on using it.

However, whether or not College Bound can’t be used to help pay Harvard or AMDA, it can be used to help pay for the colleges in the home state of students in Indiana. Amazing schools such as Notre Dame, Butler, DePaul, or even Marian University qualify for this scholarship. Students can achieve four things: attending college with a major scholarship paying for most of it, receiving an awesome education, building their moral character through community service and learning what it truly means to help others, and staying near their family.

“Nick, my brother, currently gets College Bound. He spent about a week in the summer working at the marina, and he goes to IU Bloomington, pretty much for free,” said Anglin.

And if there is a chance for students to attend college “pretty much for free”, then isn’t it worth it?

It is your senior year. Everyone around you is running around as though they were chickens with their heads cut off. Their pulse increases. Their palms sweat. Senior year is quickly ending and soon college will be around the corner. A friend comes up to you and ask that question that you have been waiting for someone to ask you for your four years in high school. You used to dread this question, but not anymore. “How are you going to pay for college?” You smile. Stressfree. Normal heartbeat. No sweaty palms. “College Bound, of course. College Bound is helping me.”